Unearthed: Glass From The Past

Terry Tilford tapped into history when he unearthed old bottles at a downtown Orlando construction site two months ago.

About six feet beneath the surface he discovered seven wine, bourbon and medicine bottles and one beer bottle that experts say was manufactured in the 1870s.

When the Budweiser beer bottle was filled with brew, the Civil War had been over for about 12 years and Orlando had recently incorporated.

Anheuser-Busch, the company that produces Budweiser, has confirmed that the bottle was made in St. Louis between 1876 and 1878, said Tom McCarty of Wayne Densch Inc., local distributer for the company's beer.

The 16-ounce long-necked bottle is intact but without its cork seal. The glass, once clear, has been clouded with a frosted, turquoise tinge. The inscription on it: ''C. Conrad & Co.'s, original Budweiser, U.S. Patent. No. 6376.''

Other than its age, ''The fact that it is a clear bottle is the most striking feature,'' said Tilford, 34, of Lockhart. ''I didn't think they Budweiser had beer in clear bottles. I always thought it was in the brown bottles.''

He was elated about his discovery. ''And I was even more ecstatic when I found out how old it was. I thought that the person who drank out of this bottle must have been one of the original Bud men,'' he said.

McCarty agreed. ''That had to be one of the very first ones to hold Budweiser. His bottle would have been cork-sealed,'' which is how the bottles were sealed a century ago, he said.

Tilford said he was surprised to find a bottle more than three times his age because he did not realize the beer dated back that far.

''This bottle must have a lot of history behind it. I'm glad I found it intact and it makes me feel good to be able to find a piece of history here in Orlando,'' he said. ''It made me realize how far back this town goes.''

The bottle is about 10 years older than a deed to land Tilford's great- grandfather bought for $1.25 an acre in 1888 in Kentucky. Tilford said the cheap price for land in those days makes him wonder how much the bottle of beer cost.

The bottles were dug up while Tilford's company was excavating the job site for a parking garage for First Union Bank on Washington Street.

Tilford said he unearthed the bottles while he was digging for footers for the garage foundation.

''I saw something roll off the mound of dirt I had and there was an old bottle. The first bottle I dug up looked like an old wine bottle . . ., so I dug some more,'' he said.

Later that day, he cleaned the bottles. He thought he had misread the inscription on the beer bottle, so he took it home and cleaned it some more. Then the inscription was undeniable, Tilford said.

Anheuser-Busch was able to trace the date that the bottle was made because the name of Carl Conrad, co-inventor of the beer, appeared only on the bottles made between 1876 and 1878. Conrad teamed with Adolphus Busch to create Budweiser, which was placed on the market in 1876. That is why the inscription says ''original Budweiser,'' McCarty said.

The company knew the bottle, valued at about $30, was made in St. Louis because that is where its only brewery was located at the time, he said.

Tilford said he plans to keep his historic bottle in his southwest Orlando office with his other glass relics.